A Newport News man who investigators say was moving large amounts of fentanyl through the Tidewater region will spend more than a decade in federal prison.
Kenneth Matthews, 48, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years and three months in prison after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court records, Matthews was part of a drug pipeline that brought narcotics from Maryland into the Hampton Roads area.
Authorities say the investigation came to a head on July 12, 2025, when the Virginia State Police located Matthews and pulled over his vehicle during a traffic stop.
During the stop, a narcotics detection dog alerted officers to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. Investigators then searched the car and found more than 300 grams of fentanyl, already divided into quantities ready for distribution.
Police also recovered a handgun and roughly $1,000 in cash.
Federal prosecutors say Matthews had been traveling to Maryland to obtain narcotics and bringing them back to the Tidewater region, where he sold them in bulk.
Fentanyl continues to drive overdose deaths across Virginia and the country. Law enforcement officials say seizures like this one can prevent thousands of potentially lethal doses from reaching communities.
Matthews will now serve just over a decade in federal prison for the charges tied to the trafficking operation.